Fiber optic cables transmit signals along bundled optical fibers using light signals to relay information at extraordinary speeds with little attenuation. Fiber optic cables span long distances, of course, and must be connected to repeaters for transmission quality. The cables also connect to peripheral networking equipment and to other fiber optic cables for proper communication signal transmission.
The art of fiber optic communications is replete with different kinds of fiber optic cable connectors for numerous environments and specialized applications. Connector systems are already designed to resist extreme harsh mechanical and environmental conditions, including high vibration, mechanical and thermal shock, and fluid immersion. Also, these cables must continue to operate under extreme tension loading. It continues to be imperative, however, for new fiber optic connector designs to maintain the integrity of the optical fibers being connected and to minimize damage in every way possible.
With so many different kinds of connectors available to system installation professionals, it is difficult to ensure that a proper fiber optic cable intersects the appropriate mate with a convenient connector that also protects the underlying fibers. Installers may damage equipment or significantly delay system operation by improperly mating optical fibers that are not intended to intersect or by installing fiber optical cables with connectors that provide insufficient protection.
A problem exists in the field of fiber optic connectors in that the connectors remain limited in versatility and are not designed with sufficient weatherproof and hazard-proof bodies to protect the fiber optics therein.